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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Amazon Web Services

    Score8.6 out of 10
    N/AAmazon Web Services (AWS) is a subsidiary of Amazon that provides on-demand cloud computing services. With over 165 services offered, AWS services can provide users with a comprehensive suite of infrastructure and computing building blocks and tools.

    $100

    per month

    DigitalOcean

    Score8.5 out of 10
    N/ADigitalOcean is an infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) platform from the company of the same name headquartered in New York. It is known for its support of managed Kubernetes clusters and “droplets” feature.

    $5

    Starting Price Per Month

    Pricing
    Amazon Web ServicesDigitalOcean
    Editions & Modules
    Free Tier
    $0
    per month
    Basic Environment
    $100 - $200
    per month
    Intermediate Environment
    $250 - $600
    per month
    Advanced Environment
    $600-$2500
    per month
    1GB-16GB
    $5.00
    Starting Price Per Month
    8GB-160GB
    $60.00
    Starting Price Per Month
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Amazon Web ServicesDigitalOcean
    Free Trial
    YesNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    YesNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional DetailsAWS allows a “save when you commit” option that offers lower prices when you sign up for a 1- or 3- year term that includes an AWS service or category of services.
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Amazon Web ServicesDigitalOcean
    Considered Both Products
    Amazon AWS
    Chose Amazon Web Services
    Amazon Web Services is much more mature than all of the cloud service providers out in the market. It has 300+ services that solve almost all of your cloud problems.
    Incentivized
    Chose Amazon Web Services
    Initially, we were with GoDaddy hosting but made a switch to a dedicated server with Bluehost. Our reasoning was that we would get more value from a dedicated server, however, as our SAAS grew we realized cloud computing was the way to go. We ended up choosing AWS over Digital …
    Incentivized
    Chose Amazon Web Services
    For a small to mid level business to maintain production level servers Heroku, Digital Ocean, and Linode are quite reasonable even though they don't provide the same level of security and GUI options as AWS (I think Heroku actually runs on AWS). Once you hit the tipping point …
    Incentivized
    Chose Amazon Web Services
    The flexibility and innovation are the keys. Amazon Web Services provides all the solutions I need in one [place]. With other providers I don't have enough flexibility to create my architecture of services as I need them. Only Amazon Web Services pre-configures services ready …
    Incentivized
    DigitalOcean
    Chose DigitalOcean
    DigitalOcean is cheaper and more flexible than DreamHost, but DreamHost is easier to maintain than DigitalOcean. DigitalOcean has many more server options and templates/images than DreamHost. Amazon Web Services is much more confusing to use. The DigitalOcean website is much …
    Incentivized
    Chose DigitalOcean
    Amazon has a very complex UI and many products to offer. They haven't polished up their UI and it has a much greater learning curve compared to DigitalOcean. However, Amazon Web Services (AWS) does have more comprehensive cloud computing services, which forces some companies to …
    Incentivized
    Chose DigitalOcean
    DigitalOcean is an inexpensive product as compared to other products available in the market. The UI is easy and the beginner can also understand the UI with the step by step guide. It provides a lot of custom features and the user needs to pay only for what they are using. …
    Incentivized
    Chose DigitalOcean
    As I have said, DigitalOcean was slightly more expensive than something like HostGator, but the amount of customization and quality of service make it worth any difference. AWS was always a pain to set up and use, but DigitalOcean makes it cake.
    Incentivized
    Chose DigitalOcean
    I've tried both AWS and Azure and, while they're both great solutions, they are much more challenging to setup and maintain. The idea that my billing could spike because of something unexpected leaves me a tad uneasy. For our solutions I'd rather pay the $10/mo with …
    Incentivized
    Chose DigitalOcean
    DigitalOcean can be seen more like a Rackspace or a similar provider. They aren't offering more extended services such as AWS Redshift of something on a larger scale. They are great for just vanilla virtualization and maintaining uptime for those resources across a large set of …
    Incentivized
    Chose DigitalOcean
    Initially we started using DigitalOcean due to their pricing point as we were in development phase. Slowly when we used it, we starting liking it a lot as it is very fast & easy to get started, compared to the other Cloud Providers we've used. Also they have blogs and …
    Incentivized
    Chose DigitalOcean
    Vultr is a new player in the game. They don't advertise their hardware model and for that reason, people may not trust them. I have run few benchmarks on Vultr, they performed slightly better than DigitalOcean but they aren't trustworthy. Their transparency index is very low …
    Incentivized
    Chose DigitalOcean
    AWS: Too complex to set things up. Period.
    Mediatemple: Great features, services and customer service. Prices are a bit high for what they offer.
    Linode: Outstanding features and customer support. Difficult to start with for novice users.
    Incentivized
    Chose DigitalOcean
    It was the right balance of cost, ease of use, and support.
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    92%
    Would buy again
    48 Answers
    100%
    Would buy again
    11 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    92%
    Delivers good value for the price
    45 Answers
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    11 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    96%
    Happy with the feature set
    50 Answers
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    11 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    90%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    38 Answers
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    11 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    91%
    Implementation went as expected
    40 Answers
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    11 Answers
    Features
    Amazon Web ServicesDigitalOcean
    Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS)
    Comparison of Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) features of Amazon Web Services and DigitalOcean
    Feature
    Amazon Web Services
    8.6
    79 Ratings
    4% above category average
    DigitalOcean
    9.2
    36 Ratings
    11% above category average
    Service-level Agreement (SLA) uptime9.273 Ratings9.931 Ratings
    Dynamic scaling8.974 Ratings9.932 Ratings
    Elastic load balancing9.470 Ratings9.723 Ratings
    Pre-configured templates7.567 Ratings10.029 Ratings
    Monitoring tools8.774 Ratings9.035 Ratings
    Pre-defined machine images8.367 Ratings9.733 Ratings
    Operating system support8.273 Ratings9.033 Ratings
    Security controls8.875 Ratings8.632 Ratings
    Automation8.126 Ratings6.55 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Amazon Web ServicesDigitalOcean
    Small Businesses
    IBM Cloud Object Storage
    Score9 out of 10
    IBM Cloud Object Storage
    Score9 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    IBM Cloud Bare Metal Servers
    Score8.7 out of 10
    IBM Cloud Bare Metal Servers
    Score8.7 out of 10
    Enterprises
    SAP on IBM Cloud
    Score9 out of 10
    SAP on IBM Cloud
    Score9 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Amazon Web ServicesDigitalOcean
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.0
    (91 ratings)
    8.9
    (36 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    9.4
    (10 ratings)
    9.0
    (2 ratings)
    Usability
    7.8
    (22 ratings)
    8.9
    (10 ratings)
    Availability
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Performance
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Support Rating
    7.2
    (24 ratings)
    8.8
    (9 ratings)
    Online Training
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    10.0
    (3 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Amazon Web ServicesDigitalOcean
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Amazon AWS
    This is something that is actually common across most cloud providers. A comprehensive understanding of one's use cases, constraints and future directions is key to determining if you even need a cloud solution. If you are a 2-person startup developing something with a best-scenario audience of 1k DAU in a year, you would very likely best served by a dirt-cheap dedicated Linux server somewhere (and your options to graduate to a cloud solution will still be open). If, however, you are a bigger fish, and/or you are actively considering build-vs-buy decisions for complicated, highly-loaded, six-figure requests per minute systems, global loadbalancing, extreme growth projections - then MAYBE you solve all or part of it with a cloud provider. And depending on your taste for risk, reliability, flexibility, track record - it might be AWS.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    DigitalOcean
    DigitalOcean is perfect for hosting client websites, running marketing tools, and managing media storage with Spaces and CDN. The use of Droplets to quickly launch landing pages or WordPress sites for campaigns is a Godsend. It’s great for fast, cheap, and scalable solutions. But for complex microservices or projects needing strict compliance (like HIPAA), DigitalOcean may not always be the best fit, but that depends heavily on your project.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Amazon AWS
    • During the month-end, we experience high resource utilization; however, with AWS's scalability, we can effectively tackle the peak load.
    • With AWS IAM, we don't need to set up complete infrastructure for identity and access management, as AWS provides end-to-end IAM services.
    • With AWS, development has become very easy as it's very quick to spin up and destroy the environment, which saves costs.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    DigitalOcean
    • DigitalOcean provides some of the best cost-to-value services available
    • The DigitalOcean cloud console is very intuitive and easy to navigate
    • DigitalOcean has great support for Docker and other dev ops tools like Terraform.
    • DigitalOcean iterates quickly and provides cutting edge features for organizations that want to keep up with the latest and greatest dev ops tooling
    • DigitalOcean has a great developer community and numerous support docs/tutorials
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Amazon AWS
    • When there is any misconfiguration of EC2 related to SSM Connect. It doesn't clearly states that what particular configuration is missing.
    • Debugging networking related issues could be improved.
    • From the security group page, it's difficult to determine which resource a security group is associated with.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    DigitalOcean
    • Some products/services available on other Cloud providers aren't available, but they seem to be catching up as they add new products like Managed SQL DBs.
    • While they have FreeBSD droplets (VMs), support for *BSD OSs is limited. I.e. the new monitoring agent only works on Linux.
    • There are no regions available on South America.
    • They don't seem to offer enterprise-level products, even basic ones as Windows Server, MS SQL Server, Oracle products, etc.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Amazon AWS
    We are almost entirely satisfied with the service. In order to move off it, we'd have to build for ourselves many of the services that AWS provides and the cost would be prohibitive. Although there are cost savings and security benefits to returning to the colo facility, we could never afford to do it, and we'd hate to give up the innovation and constant cycle of new features that AWS gives us.
    Read full review
    DigitalOcean
    I've been very happy with it for my purposes and I plan to continue to use DigitalOcean for the foreseeable future!
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    Amazon AWS
    AWS offers a wide range of powerful services that cater to various business needs which is significant strength. The ability to scale resources on-demand is a major advantage making it suitable for businesses of all sizes. The sheer volume of options and configurations can be overwhelming for new users leading to a steep learning curve. While functional the AWS management console can feel cluttered and less intuitive compared to some competitors which can hinder navigation. Although some documentation lacks clarity and practical examples which can frustrate users trying to implement specific solutions.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    DigitalOcean
    I honestly can't think of an easier way to set up and maintain your own server. Being able to set up a server in minutes and have fully control is awesome. The UX is incredibly intuitive for first-time users as well so there's no reason to be intimidated when it comes to giving DigitalOcean a shot.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    Amazon AWS
    Availability is very good, with the exception of occasional spectacular outages.
    Read full review
    DigitalOcean
    Have not found a single second of down time myself. Superior availability.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Performance
    Amazon AWS
    AWS does not provide the raw performance that you can get by building your own custom infrastructure. However, it is often the case that the benefits of specialized, high-performance hardware do not necessarily outweigh the significant extra cost and risk. Performance as perceived by the user is very different from raw throughput.
    Read full review
    DigitalOcean
    Very quick response and high performance, you have to fine tune configurations on your machines though.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    Amazon AWS
    The customer support of Amazon Web Services are quick in their responses. I appreciate its entire team, which works amazingly, and provides professional support. AWS is a great tool, indeed, to provide customers a suitable way to
    immediately search for their compatible software's and also to guide them in a
    good direction. Moreover, this product is a good suggestion for every type of
    company because of its affordability and ease of use.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    DigitalOcean
    They have always been fast, and the process has been straight-forward. I haven't had to use it enough to be frustrated with it, to be honest, and when I have an issue they fix it. As with all support, I wish it felt more human, but they are doing aces.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    Amazon AWS
    The API's were very well documented and was Janova's main point of entry into the services.
    Read full review
    DigitalOcean
    No answers on this topic
    Alternatives Considered
    Amazon AWS
    Amazon Web Services fits best for all levels of organisations like startup, mid level or enterprise. The services are easy to use and doesn't require a high level of understanding as you can learn via blogs or youtube videos. AWS is Reasonable in cost as the plan is pay as you use.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    DigitalOcean
    DigitalOcean is an inexpensive product as compared to other products available in the market. The UI is easy and the beginner can also understand the UI with the step by step guide. It provides a lot of custom features and the user needs to pay only for what they are using. Amazon has a complex UI and is on the expensive side. DigitalOcean is simple to use and is easily manageable and the servers can easily be set up without additional cost and such.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Scalability
    Amazon AWS
    No answers on this topic
    DigitalOcean
    Great scalability, you can start with small plans and move up to premium features at a very good price.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    Amazon AWS
    • Using Amazon Web Services has allowed us to develop and deploy new SAAS solutions quicker than we did when we used traditional web hosting. This has allowed us to grow our service offerings to clients and also add more value to our existing services.
    • Having AWS deployed has also allowed our development team to focus on delivering high-quality software without worrying about whether our servers will be able to handle the demand. Since AWS allows you to adjust your server needs based on demand, we can easily assign a faster server instance to ease and improve service without the client even knowing what we did.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    DigitalOcean
    • Positive - Elastic computer instances make it possible to pay for only for what you need.
    • Positive - Competitive pricing - some of the products that DigitalOcean offers are much cheaper than those offered by competitors.
    • Negative - Having to go to other cloud computing platforms for more specific, advanced services like Computer Vision optimized services, GPU cloud compute instances, etc...
    Incentivized
    Read full review
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